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crier

American  
[krahy-er] / ˈkraɪ ər /

noun

  1. a person who cries.

  2. a court or town official who makes public announcements.

  3. a hawker.

crier British  
/ ˈkraɪə /

noun

  1. a person or animal that cries

  2. (formerly) an official who made public announcements, esp in a town or court

  3. a person who shouts advertisements about the goods he is selling

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • undercrier noun

Etymology

Origin of crier

1250–1300; Middle English criere < Old French. See cry, -er 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“I’m not a big crier, but I just lost it.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026

He continued dance-walking down the long city block, the time-traveling Black town crier was waking up all those who would listen.

From Salon • Jun. 10, 2025

If it’s any consolation, you’re not an ugly crier.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 20, 2024

In Lisburn, events begin early with a D-Day proclamation read by a town crier from the Irish Linen Centre and Lisburn Museum at 08:00.

From BBC • Jun. 5, 2024

I always did say that when Little Arliss cried he could shed more tears faster than any crier I ever saw.

From "Old Yeller" by Fred Gipson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.